British bantamweight champion Kash Farooq has opened the door for an all-Scottish clash with Commonwealth champion Lee McGregor to take place before the end of the year.
Talk surrounding the much-hyped fight between the bantamweight pair has been ongoing with even McGregor himself calling Farooq out on social media after the Knightswood boxer’s knockout win over Kyle Williams in April.
But, as much as Farooq, fresh from that win over Williams, would like to see what he describes as ‘the biggest domestic Scottish fight in 15 years’ go ahead, he took a step back to offer McGregor some advice.
READ MORE: Kash Farooq retains bantamweight crown with stoppage win
“Lee has a Commonwealth defence lined up with Scott Allan in a couple of weeks,” said Farooq, who has two wins over Allan, including an eighth round knockout that saw him clinch the Scottish bantamweight title back in 2017.
“So I think he needs to focus on that fight and not call me out at the moment. I know he wants the fight to happen and so do I, but he’s got a big fight with Scott to focus on. He needs to get past Scott to get that fight with me. Once he gets that out of the way then he can start talking and calling me out.”
Away from sound bites on social media, Farooq knows how much Scottish boxing fans want to see this bout come to fruition with the 23-year-old also desperate to see it get the green light, insisting that a November or December date this year would be perfect.
He added: “I think it would be ideal for us to box at the end of this year before Christmas - November or the beginning of December would be great.
At the end of the day, that’s just me talking. It will come down to our management teams to iron out those details, but I think that would be the best time to get it on.
“It’s the fight all Scottish boxing fans want to see. It’s very rare to see two Scottish boxers in the same division and the same age with two big belts. It’s early in our careers as well.
“The last big Scottish fight like this was Craig Docherty and Alex Arthur in 2005. Myself and Lee will be the biggest domestic fight in 15 years. I think the fans will be in for a treat once it’s all actually confirmed.”
However, Farooq has his eyes firmly on winning the Lonsdale belt outright before any McGregor discussions take place with a summer date set to be announced shortly.
The Knightswood fighter has made two defences of his British title with a third putting him in the esteemed company of those who have won the right to keep the belt.
READ MORE: Farooq out to prove he is the real deal in second title defence
“All my focus right now is on making another defence of this belt,” he said.
“My managers are looking at August or September for me to get back out there. I want to win this Lonsdale belt outright then I can look ahead from there.
“As far as I know there are no names yet. I’ll be finding out who and where in the next couple of weeks.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article